life as an urban parent, therapist/educator, and alternate life fantasizer

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Sunday, May 6, 2012

sorry, extra super jumpy post

it has been a little extra sketchy around here lately, or maybe i have just been tuning in more to reports of robberies and assaults. ok, i will just say it, shootings. there is a new establishment across from walgreen's called the dirty pigeon. the kids were peering into it from the back seat of the car while i was trying to make a right turn and maya said "it's a bar, or maybe a bar that's a tattoo parlor too." so glad she knows these things. miles and i were joking about how it would be nice to have a new place called the clean white swan instead of the dirty pigeon and cracking ourselves up. it has become the new thing to say around here for a laugh, for no real reason "you dirty pigeon". but deep down not so hilarious when i see a bunch of huge drunk what look like teenagers hanging out outside in a cheech and chong-esque cloud of smoke. i looked it up and the dirty pigeon is actually this . the urban dictionary has a definition here.

maybe i am just getting old. i feel all touchy-feely about pigeons and don't want my kids around a store whose motto is "shitting on everybody". maybe i just need to chillax. a decade ago our friends lived in a warehouse where the dirty pigeon is now and we used to go to super loud parties with live bands playing until 3 in the morning and all kinds of revelry happening. i am sure there were neighbors with kids who didn't love that.

at my niece's birthday miles played about 4 hours of fuzbol. it was a great way for people of various languages, ages, and genders to come together in intense competition and illegal spinning. it made me think about what i am going to need to do to make our boring apartment more enticing for the kids and their friends when they get bigger. fuzbol? ping pong? my mom suggested a swimming pool which made my mind immediately jump to flee the city images, there we are in our country home in sonoma county with a nice pool and the kids are all hanging out. but maybe we can just keep them around with video game time and tasty snacks. maybe we will end up being the place where the kids practice with their rock bands. who knows.

as usual, to cancel out the dirty pigeon and crime statistics we were given a glorious weekend of parties with close-by family, a sunday streets packed with sun and familiar faces and yummy food and live music, and city culture opportunities. here is a photo of maya performing at the brava theater today for the dance mission recital. there were amazing young taiko drummers, salsa dancers, modern ballerinas, and awesome hip hoppers. the other photo is from a week or so ago when miles went on an overnight camping trip to the presidio with his class. the kids walked to the golden gate bridge overlook and then slept on a bluff high above baker beach in gear supplied by the camping in the presidio program, surrounded by cypress and eucalyptus and their buddies. very special.

so, stay here but move somewhere calmer and safer in the city? this would entail more income. stay right here and take our chances? get a ping pong table and some mace? decisions decisions decisions.